Hero
by twenty3
Summary: Nick makes a mistake and Warrick over reacts. Is it too late to take it back? My first fic...Complete.
1. Mistakes

**Disclaimer - I don't own CSI or the characters.**

**Hero**

"Nick, you have to talk to him about it. You'll feel much better if you do." Catherine said calmly. She had been arguing about this with Nick for over an hour. They had been sitting in the locker room since shift had ended.

"I would really rather not, I don't see why he has to know anyway. Everything's fine the way it is, you two are together, he doesn't hate me..."

"Nick, he's not gonna hate you. You guys are best friends, think of how much it'll mean to him if you tell him the truth." Catherine was now more worried then irritated. Nick and Warrick were best friends, and that wasn't going to change. Was it?

"I know...you're right. Just...how am I supposed to tell him something like this? I mean, this is big..." Nick was starting to feel sick to his stomach. He'd been feeling like that a lot lately, ever since Warrick and Catherine got together. Guilt's a pain in the ass.

"Nicky, it's gonna be okay. The sooner you do it, the better. Waiting will make it worse." Catherine tried to sound as soothing as she could.

"This couldn't get much worse." Nick replied.

"What couldn't get worse?"

Nick practically jumped off the bench. His back was to the door, but he didn't have to turn around to know who it was. Warrick's voice was unmistakable.

Nick swore to himself. He knew he was gonna have to do it now before he lost all his nerve. Catherine slowly got up, gave Warrick a quick kiss, mumbled something about going to get Lindsey, then left without another word. Nick's hands had started shaking and he felt a little lightheaded.

"Uhhh...W-Warrick, can we t-talk...I gotta t-tell you something p-pretty important." Nick stutterted horribly as he spoke. It always happened when he was nervous.

Warrick could tell something was wrong by the way Nick was acting. He wasn't making eye contact, his hands were shaking, and then there was the obvious stutter. He walked over and sat next to Nick on the bench, and Nick shifted uncomfortably and avoided Warrick's eyes.

"Yeah, of course bro. What's up?"

"Okay...well..." Nick started. This was going to be so unbelievably hard. "Alright. Uhhh...w-well, you know how you got m-married?"

"Yeah..." Warrick's confusion and concern was obvious in his voice.

"Of course you do...well, I t-took that as you being over c-Catherine, even t-though I knew you really w-weren't, b-but I j-just thought..."

Nick was interrupted by Warrick putting his arm around him and trying to calm him down. "It's alright bro, take your time. Calm down and tell me what's going on."

"Right...well, after that whole thing with k-Kelly Gordon killing herself...I was really s-shooken up, ya know? Cuz I was right there and everything...and well, you were on a c-case and r-really busy so I didn't wanna bother you, s-so I talked to Catherine about it and..." Nick's voice broke and he trailed off. He was shaking uncontrolably now and thought he was gonna get sick.

"And what? Come on Nicky you can tell me anything."

Nick let his head fall into his hands and took a deep breath before continuing. "I s-swear I didn't mean to...b-but we ended up...s-sleeping together..."

Warrick's heart skipped a beat. His arm fell from Nick's shoulders, and he just started at him. Nick didn't dare look up.

"W...what?" Warrick didn't believe what his best friend had just told him.

"I was just so s-scared and one thing led to another and..." Nick was cut off by Warrick yelling at him.

"And you slept with her! Nick, how could you? You knew that I always had feelings for her...you're supposed to be my best friend..." Warrick had stood up from the bench and was now towering over Nick.

"I k-know, Warrick...I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for it to happen...t-then you guys got together and I knew I had to tell you..." Nick slowly stood up to face Warrick. "You gotta believe me, I n-never meant to hurt you..."

"Well, you didn't do a good job there Nick. I...I just can't..." Warrick was beyond angry, he couldn't control himself. Before he even knew what he was doing, he felt his fist slam into Nick's face. Nick stumbled backwards in shock. Warrick had caught him right in the left eye, and Nick hadn't even seen it coming.

"I can't believe you man...I thought we were best friends...brothers...but I guess not. We're nothing anymore...I...I hate you, Nick." Warrick turned around and stormed out of the locker room, leaving Nick stunned and unable to move.

"I was wrong. It did get worse..." he said softly before falling to his knees.


	2. Sirens

**Disclaimer - I still don't own CSI.**

Warrick drove home as fast as he could without getting into an accident. His mind was racing, and all he wanted to do was forget his best friend had stabbed him in the back as soon as possible. He had barely parked his car in his driveway before he was out of it and practically running through his front door. He just dropped his keys on the floor and went right to the fridge and grabbed a beer. He guzzled it down, and grabbed another. _'This is exactly what I'm gonna do.'_ he said to himself. _'I'm gonna drink this all away, and it'll be a bad dream when I wake up.'_ By his 7th beer, he started thinking about how he yelled at Nick and didn't even let him explain...then topped it all off by punching him in the face and saying he hated him, which wasn't true. He wasn't thinking clearly, he was shocked and angry. He knew he had to talk to Nick, but before he could pick up his phone, he had passed out on the floor.

Nick was shaking horribly. He had no idea how long he had been there, it had been at least an hour since Warrick had left. His words were replaying in his mind over and over again, and his stomachache was getting much worse. His head was spinning and he felt like he was gonna faint. He didn't even notice Greg was there until he caught him before he fell over.

"Nick, are you okay? What's wrong?"

"Everything..." Nick said so quietly Greg barely heard him. Before he knew what he was doing he was telling Greg everything that happened and hadn't realized he was crying until he finished. Greg was beyond stunned. He was doing everything he could to try and calm Nick down, but nothing was working.

"I gotta go talk to him." Nick said, and stood up shakily and walked past Greg.

"Wait, Nick. You shouldn't drive like this, I'll take you over to Warrick's." Nick couldn't have argued if he had wanted to. They drove in silence. They had to pull over a couple times to let some police cars and fire trucks pass. As they got closer to Warrick's, Nick got shakier. He thought it was just becuase he was so nervous he was gonna loose his best friend, but his gut told him something was very wrong, other than the fact Warrick hated him. As they pulled into Warrick's street the sirens got louder. Greg thought more were coming, but then they saw them in front of Warrick's burning house. Greg slowed but hadn't stopped before Nick had jumped out and started running towards Warrick's. Greg pulled the car to the side and ran after Nick, who was being held back by a fire fighter.

"Sir, you don't understand. It's too dangerous to go in there, we have to put some of the fire out." The older man was having a hard time keeping Nick in front of him. "This isn't a movie, young man. You can't run into burning buildings trying to be a hero."

"No, you don't understand. My brother's in there and I gotta help him." And with that Nick was past the fireman and running into Warrick's house, and all Greg and everyone else could do was watch.


	3. Memories

Nick couldn't see anything and could barely breathe with all the smoke, but he didn't care. He had to find Warrick. He called out to him as loud as he could, but started coughing as smoke filled his lungs. He made his way through the kitchen and into the living room and tripped over a table and fell right onto the unconscious Warrick. He desperatly tried to wake him up, and succeeded on the third time he shook him and yelled right in his ear. Warrick was groggy and confused as to why his house was on fire. He was lightheaded and dizzy from all the smoke and had trouble standing up, but Nick wrapped his arm around his waist and helped him up. Nick guided Warrick through the living room and kitchen. They were a few feet from the front door and could see out at all the people anxiously waiting to see if they would make it out okay. Then all of a sudden they heard a loud crack and Greg yelled "Look out!" Nick looked up and saw the roof about to fall, so he took another step forward and pushed Warrick out the front door onto the grass. Warrick rolled over and looked back as the roof collapsed on top of Nick. He tried to yell, but no words came out. Fire fighters ran towards where Nick was buried under the burning roof, and Warrick, joined by Greg, ran over to help. They put the fire out and started throwing the boards and roof tiles off of Nick. It took a couple minutes, but they finally got to him, laying on his right side, unconscious. The paramedics quickly checked him out then loaded him onto a stretcher and started wheeling him towards the ambulance. Warrick grabbed Nick's left hand and tried to go with him, but was pulled away by another paramedic.

"Sir, are you alright?" the younger guy asked as he shined a flashlight in Warrick's eyes.

"No, my best friend was just under a huge pile of burning wood." Warrick tried to get to Nick in the ambulance, but was held back again.

"I can't let you leave sir, you need medical attention."

"No. No one's even thinking about touching me until Nick's okay, so focus all your attention on him, not me." Warrick ripped his arm away from the young paramedic and ran to the ambulance. Once inside, he grabbed Nick's hand again and sat silently by his side.The paramedics climbed in after him and started talking about Nick. Warrick wasn't paying attention to what they were saying, he was just looking down at Nick, praying he would be okay. He had to be, Warrick hadn't gotten a chance to apologize for before and tell him how much he meant to him. "You're gonna be okay Nicky." Warrick said as he gently squeezed Nick's hand. He had a quick flashback to when they rescued Nick from his coffin and Warrick was sitting in the same place he was now, holding Nick's left hand, telling him everything was going to be okay. He wasn't unconscious then, though. Just scared to death. Warrick couldn't decide which was worse.

The ride seemed like an eternity. As soon as they got to the hospital, Nick was rushed to the emergency room and Warrick reluctantly let go of Nick's hand. Warrick was shaking slightly and his eyes were filled with tears. He turned around as Greg ran up to him. "I called Catherine, she's on her way over." Warrick only half heard him. They went to the waiting room and Warrick collapsed into a chair. "He told me what happened." Greg said softly. Warrick looked up at him, and Greg was surprised to see he was crying. Not because he didn't think he cared about Nick, he's just never seen him cry before. "He's gonna be okay Warrick, don't worry. He'll make it through this, he always does." That made Warrick smile a little, but not for long. Catherine walked in a few minutes later and went straight to Warrick and Greg. She hugged Warrick and tried to calm him down, but he was hysterical.

"It's all my fault. I...I was just mad...I wasn't thinking. He's gotta be okay. Ya know what the last thing I said to him was? 'I hate you Nick.' Nothing could be further from the truth. He has to make it through this...I can't loose him..." he fell back into his chair and covered his face with his hands.

"I know, Warrick. It's okay, he knows you don't hate him, it's gonna be okay." Catherine said as she rubbed his back. The rest of the team showed up a little while later, and they sat in defeaning silence, waiting for someone to tell them something, anything about Nick.

As Warrick sat there, he replayed every minute he could remember with Nick. All the times they had hung out, watching football games or playing basketball. He remembered those few horrible seconds over a year ago when he thought Nick had killed himself in the box. He remembered not being able to breathe when he saw Nick with the gun to his head again when they dug him up, and how relieved he was when they got him out okay. He remembered telling himself he would always be there for Nick no matter what, that they'd always be friends. Then he remembered punching him in the face and telling his he hated him. Not exactly something he wanted to think about.

**A/N: There were some errors or something when I was trying tp upload this chapter...chapter 4 should be up soon.**


	4. Just Being Nicky

It had been 3 hours, and everyone but Warrick had fallen asleep.

"Hello, are you here for Mr.Stokes?"

"Yeah, I'm Warrick Brown...is he okay?"

"I'm Dr. Hanavan. Mr. Stokes just got out of surgery. He has 3 broken ribs, his right wrist is broken, he dislocated his right shoulder, he has severe concussion and minimal internal bleeding."

"Can I see him?" Warrick couldn't keep the hope or worry out of his voice.

The doctor gave him a sympathetic look. "He's having some tests run on him right now, and you can see him through a glass observation window. He should be awake soon." Dr. Hanavan led Warrick to where Nick was being tested. His heart broke when he saw Nick lying there, motionless, with numerous tubes running to and from his body. Warrick stood there and watched as various tests were run on Nick. He nearly jumped out of his skin when Catherine came up from behind him and hugged him. He turned around and saw the rest of the team - Greg, Grissom, Sara, and Brass had joined them - all with the same sad look on their faces. It was clear Sara had been crying, and Greg's eyes were even a little red.

"He shouldn't have come in after me, I didn't deserve to be saved. That should be me in there, not him." Warrick's voice broke and he started crying again. Greg slowly walked up to the glass next to Warrick.

"The fire fighter told him it was too dangerous, that it wasn't a movie, that he couldn't go running into fires trying to be a hero. Nick said he wouldn't let you down again...he..." Greg stopped and looked down at the floor. Sara had started crying into Grissom's shouler.

Warrick looked up and through the glass that was seperating him from his best friend. "He wasn't trying to be a hero...he was just being Nicky."

Nick had slept for a couple hours before waking up. While the rest of the team was in with Nick, Warrick sat in the waiting room. He wanted to talk to him alone. His mind was racing with all the things we wanted to say to him. There were so many feelings...but Warrick was unsure of how to actually get them into words. _'I'm sorry for punching you in the face'_ wasn't exactly the road he wanted to go by. He looked up when he heard Nick's door close. Grissom, Sara, Greg and Brass waved then walked in the opposite direction, heading back to the lab. Catherine walked over and sat next to Warrick. "He fell asleep. The doctor said with all the pain meds he's on he might drift in and out of sleep, but he's gonna be fine." Warrick just shook his head. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the chair. "Do you wanna talk about...umm...what happened between me and Nick?"

Warrick opened his eyes and looked at Catherine. "There isn't much to talk about. It happened, nothing you can do about it now."

Catherine put her hand on his arm. "I'm sorry. I know this is going to sound horrible...but I was so upset over you getting married and then Nick needed someone to talk to after the Kelly Gordon thing...I was half trying to get you jealous I guess."

"Only half?"

"The other half would be the alcohol and the fact Nick's not bad to look at." Warrick laughed and hugged Catherine.

"I know he's irresitable. It's not like we were together...I was married. It's nobody's fault. Well, it's my fault that Nick's..."

Catherine cut him off. "No it's not Warrick. What do you think Nick would say if he heard you just now?"

Warrick sighed. "He'd probably yell at me."

"Exactly. Everything's gonna be okay Warrick. Go sit with him until he wakes up...I gotta get home to Lindsey." Catherine kissed Warrick's forhead and left. Warrick sat there for a couple more minutes, trying to gather his thoughts. When he realized that was useless, he got up and walked up to Nick's door and looked through the window. His chest was moving up and down slowly. There weren't as many tubes in him either, which Warrick took as a good sign. He took a deep breath, opened the door and went into the room.


	5. Sorries

He slowly walked over and pulled a chair up to the side of the bed on Nick's left side. He slid his right hand into Nick's left and squeezed it gently. "Hey bro. I, uh, I know I said some things before to you...but, they weren't true. People say the truth comes out when you're mad, but it doesn't. What I said was the opposite of how I really feel. I don't hate you Nicky, I never could, even if I wanted to. You're the best friend I've ever had. You proved that by saving my life even though I was a jackass to you. I...fuck...I'm so sorry. You have no idea what seeing you like this does to me. I don't care about Catherine...well, I mean, I obviously care about her, but I'm not gonna let that get in the way of us. Nothing can do that. I don't care what it takes, but I'm gonna make it up to you. I'd take back everything I said, everything I did...I know you never meant to hurt me. I never wanted it to end up like this Nick. I'd trade places with you if I could. I'd do anything for you, and I know it may not mean much to you cuz you have so many friends...but I really don't. I wouldn't trade what we have for anything, and I'm gonna do whatever it takes to get that back. You're my brother...more than that...I can't even explain it." Tears were now falling steadily down Warrick's cheeks. He didn't even bother to wipe them away. "You gotta be okay Nicky...you gotta get better. I don't care how selfish I'm being. I can't do this without you. If I ever lost you...I don't know what I'd do. You're gonna be okay...It's gonna be alright, I promise..." Warrick's head fell into his left hand as he cried. He was still gently squeezing Nick's hand when he swear he felt Nick squeeze back. His head shot up, and he had stopped crying. He squeezed Nick's hand again, and this time there was no doubt Nick was squeezing back. Warrick smiled. Nick's eyes slowly opened and he tried as hard as he could to focus on Warrick. 

"Hey." Nick said weakly. His voice was quiet and scratchy.

"Hey buddy. How ya feeling?" Warrick was suddenly nervous. _'He's probably pissed at me...I did punch him in the face...'_ he thought.

"It hurts...a lot..."

"You're just sore bro, don't worry you'll feel better soon. Everything's gonna be okay, I promise." Nick shook his head and closed his eyes. Warrick thought he had fallen alseep, but then he spoke.

"I heard what you said...all of it. I didn't want to wake up, before. I was trying to just...give up. But I couldn't...I didn't want to anymore...I'm sorry, Warrick..."

"Nick, you don't have a damn thing to be sorry for, okay? I screwed up. Hell, I was married when you slept with Catherine, so you shouldn't have felt as guilty as you did. It's my fault, not yours."

"I'm still sorry."

"Don't be. I'm the one that needs to say sorry to you. "I'm Sorry" doesn't even begin to describe it. If it weren't for you I wouldn't be here right now. I'm gonna make this better Nick, I swear." A few tears had fallen from Nick's tired eyes. _'After everything Nick's done for me, I go and do this to him...'_

"Mr. Stokes, glad to see you're awake." Neither Warrick or Nick had heard Dr. Hanavan walk in. He put some pain killers in Nick's IV and tried to give him sedatives, but Nick refused. Warrick knew how much Nick hated them, he wouldn't let the doctors give them to him after he had been buried alive, either. "Okay, Nick, get plenty of rest and make sure you drink a lot of fluids, and I don't see why you can't be out of here in a couple of days."

"Thanks doc." Nick said before Hanavan left.

"Well, you should probably get some sleep man. I'll leave you alone." Warrick stood up to leave, but Nick didn't let go of his hand.

"You...uh...busy?" Nick asked softly.

"No."

"Will you stay with me? I still hate being alone..."

"Of course I will."

"Thanks, bro." Warrick sat back down in his chair next to Nick, who was obviously too tired to hold up his end of a conversation. So Warrick turned the TV on and found a football game and they watched it for a little while, talking and joking like they always did. It didn't take long for Nick to fall back asleep.

**Thanks for all the reviews. The last chapter will be up later tonight.**


	6. Hero, Nick, Same Thing

Nick was released from the hospital 2 days later. Warrick was there with him the whole time, and was now driving him home.

"So, what happened to your house?" Nick asked carefully.

"Oh, the classic 'pilot light went out' or some bullshit. Insurance should cover it, though."

"Do you need a place to stay?"

"Nah, I'm probably just gonna get a hotel. Catherine offered, but her house is packed enough with her, Lindsey and her mother there."

Nick saw the chance to get things between him and Warrick back to normal quickly. "Well, I have an extra room...why don't you stay with me instead of wasting money on a hotel? I could use the company..."

Warrick looked over at his best friend. He knew what he was trying to do, and it seemed like a good idea. "You sure? I don't wanna intrude or anything."

"Oh yeah, cuz my life is so crazy outside of work..." Nick started laughing at his own joke. He couldn't even say it with a straight face.

"Fine, just until I find another place. I don't wanna get in the way of your 'crazy life.' " Warrick laughed.

"Stay as long as you want, cuz we both know you're not gonna look for another place."

"Oh? We do?"

"Yepp. I know you better then you know yourself. Sad, isn't it?"

"Considering it works both ways...no." Warrick shot back. Nick gave him one of his famous smiles. "So, Nick...we're okay, right?"

"We always will be bro."

They drove in a comfortable silence for a little while. Nick was already feeling better, and so was Warrick. They knew everything was going to be okay. Warrick pulled into Nick's driveway and they slowly made their way into the house. Nick was still a little sore. Once inside, Nick went straight to his room to get some clothes Warrick could change into. He'd been wearing the same ones for 3 days. Warrick showered quick, changed, and headed into the kitchen where he smelled Nick making burgers. They were both starving so they finished quickly without much conversation. It was obvious to Warrick that Nick was still a little nervous about the whole Catherine thing, so after they had finished eating, Warrick decided they had better get it over with.

"Nick...we should talk...about, uhh..."

"Yeah...yeah I know. Let's go into the living room." Nick picked up the dishes and put them in the sink before following Warrick onto the couch. He stared down at the floor and his hands were shaking slightly.

"Okay..." Warrick started. "Why don't you just tell me the whole story? Everything." Nick looked up nervously. "I'm not gonna punch you in the face again bro."

Nick laughed, but it was obvious it was forced. "Okay..."

_Nick's hands were shaking and he was paler than the dead body he was staring at. "Nick...why don't you go home and get some rest? I can take care of things here." Sofia gently placed her hand on Nick's arm._

_"I don't want to leave you alone here."_

_"Dave's on his way over and Brass is outside talking to a few neighbors. I'll be fine, you should really go home." Nick just nodded and left. He was surprised he made it all the way back to the lab without getting into an accident. His hands were shaking worse now, and the image of Kelly dying right in front of him wouldn't leave. **It's my fault...I should have been able to help her...fucking Grissom...this isn't over...it's never gonna just be fucking over...**As soon as Nick sat down on the bench in front of his locker, he just broke down. He couldn't help it. He let go, stopped holding everything back and stopped pretending he was okay. He heard the door open and could barely see Catherine through the tears. She walked over and sat next to Nick, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into a hug._

_"I heard about Kelly...I'm so sorry..." She knew he was thinking that he could have helped her. "Nick this isn't your fault."_

_"Yes it is. She killed herself because her dad killed himself because of me...everything's my fault. I should have just pulled..."_

_"No Nicky. Don't say that. You did everything you could. What Gordon did to you...this is his fault, not yours, okay?" Nick just shook his head, not really believing Catherine._

_Nick stood up and grabbed his jacket from his locker. "I'm gonna go home."_

_"Want some company?"_

_"Would you mind?"_

_"Not at all." Nick smiled and led Catherine out to his car. They drove in a comfortable silence for the 10 minutes it takes to get to Nick's from the lab. He unlocked the door, letting them both inside. "Make yourslef at home." Nick said, motioning to the couch as he dissappeared into the kitchen, returning with 2 beers. He handed one to Catherine and sat down next to her on the couch._

_"Thanks." She looked down at the floor before continuing. "Ya know...you don't have to keep pretending you're okay."_

_Nick looked at Catherine, a little shocked. He hadn't expected her to say that. "I'm not pretending...most of the time..."_

_"It's okay Nick. Warrick's really the one that noticed it, then when he mentioned it to me I saw it too. Let us help you, you don't have to do this by yourself." Nick just nodded and took a long sip of his beer. They finished their drinks in silence, and Nick got up to go get some more. Before they realized it, they had had 4 or 5 beers each. They had somehow gotten on the subject of first kisses, and after Catherine had finished telling a story about one on a boat with some guy from high school, Nick noticed how beautiful she looked and decided to comment on it._

_"You look really beautiful right now."_

_"Right now? So other times..."_

_"No, that's not what I meant. Prettier than usual." She smiled warmly at him. Before he even knew what he was doing, Nick leaned in and kissed her. Catherine wrapped her arms around Nick's neck, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss._

"Then..."

"Yeah. She can do that to you." Warrick laughed. He had been wanting to ask the same question since Nick had told him about Catherine...he had to know. "Nicky..." Nick looked up at met Warrick's eyes. "Do you have feelings for her?"

Nick was a little surprised. "No, no man of course not." Nick said a little too quickly, and Warrick picked up on it.

"You sure? You can tell me if you do bro."

"I don't, I promise." This time Warrick could see the sincerity in Nick's eyes.

"Okay, I believe you." They fell into somewhere between a comfortable and awkward silence. Neither was sure what to say next. Warrick decided to break the silence. "Nick, you don't have to put on an act, at least not for me. If you need help, you can always ask me okay?" Nick laughed. "What? Why is that funny?"

"No, it's just that's what Catherine said, well sort of. She said I didn't have to pretend I was okay and that you noticed it." Nick sighed. "I was just thinking I was starting to really get over the whole buried alive thing. It's been over a year and I'm still afraid of the dark...it's so fucking stupid..."

"No it's not. What's stupid is you thinking you have to do this by yourself. You never have to do anything by yourself bro, I'm always gonna be here for you." Nick smiled and Warrick pulled him into a tight hug. "It's gonna get better...everything's gonna be okay...I promise."

"I'm not strong enough to get over this..."

"Yes you are. You made it for over 24 hours in that fucking box. You saved my life and you've helped me more than you will ever know..."

"I can't be a hero..." Nick said, quoting the fire fighter that tried to stop him from saving Warrick.

"Yes you can, and you are. You're my hero."

**THE END**


End file.
